Newborn care

Newborn Care

BathingSponge bathe your baby until the umbilical cord has fallen off and the attachment site is completely dry--usually the first 2 weeks of life. Use only warm water and a mild soap and shampoo. Babies only need baths 1-2 times a week. More frequent bathing will only dry their skin out.

Bowel MovementsEach child is unique, and will develop their own bowel habits that will be normal for them. Generally speaking, breastfed infants will stool more frequently than formula fed infants. It is normal for breastfed infants to stool with almost every feeding, and formula fed infants may only stool once every 2-3 days. Anywhere in between is considered a normal stooling pattern for infants. Stools can be any color from yellow to green to brown, typically are very loose and mostly liquid, and can have a mustard seed appearance. It is normal for babies to strain with passing a bowel movement, and unless the stools are hard and pellet like, no treatment is necessary. Hard stools can be treated with a mixture of 1 oz of water and 1 oz of fruit juice, given 1-2 times a day. If this does not help after 1-2 days, this should be stopped. If the baby is extremely uncomfortable, 1/2 of a pediatric glycerine suppository can be used. If needing to use a suppository it's best to schedule an appointment to be seen in the next few days for an exam as well.

Circumcision careApply vaseline or antibiotic ointment to the circumcision site as well as the diaper for the first 4-5 days after the circumcision. This promotes healing as well as prevents the healing tissue from scabbing over and sticking to the diaper. If the site does become stuck to the diaper, run warm water over the area. This will make it easier and less painful to separate. As the site heals you may likely notice some yellow spots appearing on the site that look like pus. This is not an infection; it is a normal healing response of the skin, and will go away on its own after 5-7 days.

ColicThe underlying cause of colic is poorly understood but is felt to possibly be due to some GI discomfort or dysfunction. It can occur from the 3rd week of life up until the child is about 3 months old. Typically babies with colic will cry during the evening hours, often for several hours at a time, and may be hard, if not impossible, to console. They can draw their legs up to their stomach and may pass gas. There are several things you can do which may help:

Check to make sure there are no other causes for the crying (i.e. hungry, dirty, sleepy)

Swaddle the infant and rock with them. Sometimes infants respond to a car ride in the car seat. You can also try wrapping your baby to you and running the vacuum cleaner or hair dryer.

FeedingBreast feeding: This is by far the preferred method of feeding for infants. It provides not only adequate nutrition, but also some immunity against infection, and is less likely to be associated with food allergies. It also helps to promote good infant/maternal bonding.